Speaking | Cydney Mar – Podcast Guest & Speaker
Speaker & Podcast Guest
From the skating rink to $300M in global sales.
Cydney Mar on how products get made, why people buy, and starting again.
Download Speaker Sheet (PDF) Invite Cydney to Speak
Meet Cydney
Cydney Mar has been designing and building product for more than 45 years. She was an award-winning designer in New York in the late 1970s, designed Cirque du Soleil’s first Boutique Collection, and led design for Edwin Jeans in North America.
For 15+ years she sold her own collections on QVC in 8 countries — more than 800 hours of live television and over $300 million in retail, TV and DTC sales. Before fashion, she competed as a national-level figure skater until an accident ended that career overnight. A later illness took most of her hair and led to her second company, Cydney Mar Wellness.
Cydney is Nlaka’pamux, Coast Salish from our West. Based in Montreal, she runs Cydney Mar Consulting, an Indigenous-owned product development firm, alongside her vitamin brand — helping founders create their collections, from start to scale.
By the Numbers
- $300M+ in global sales
- 800+ hours of live TV
- 8 countries on air
- 45+ years in fashion & product
Listen & Watch
Recent conversations and talks on product, reinvention and building a business that sells.
The Courage to Start Again · CCIB 7-Minute Lightning Talk · August 2026
Unlearning in Progress
Starting Over Doesn't Mean Starting From Scratch
with Jaime & Angela · September 2026 · 32 min
What to do when the plan derails, and how to see the skills you already have when you start again.
Nothing Small About Business
From Figure Skating to QVC and $300M in Sales
with Sara Press · September 2026
My business playbook: product development, retail strategy and what 15 years of live TV selling teaches you.
Bold Moves Business Podcast
Why Reinvention Is a Business Owner's Superpower
with Angela Merzib · August 2026 · 52 min
Two reinventions, from Canada's national skating team to $300M in TV retail, and on to wellness and consulting.
Izba Consulting
Why Great Taste Is Killing Your Business
with Aaron Alpeter · April 2026
Why a founder's own taste isn't the same as what the customer will buy.
Talks & Episode Angles
- Why People Buy — what 800 hours of live TV teaches you about selling.
- Idea to Shelf — how products actually get made, costed and sold.
- Starting Over — when life ends a chapter without your permission, twice.
- Never Too Late — doing your best work in your 60s and beyond.
- Beauty from the Inside Out — illness, hair loss, and coming back stronger.
- Building on Your Own Terms — an Indigenous-owned business story.
How Cydney Can Join You
- Podcast & media interviews
- Keynotes & lightning talks
- Panels, roundtables & fireside chats
- Workshops for founders
- In person (Montreal) or virtual
Good fit for: women in business · founder journeys · product development · retail & e-commerce · wellness & beauty · reinvention · ageing boldly · Indigenous business
Recent Stages
- Startup Canada — Startup Women Industry Roundtable: Women in Retail & E-Commerce (panelist, September 2026)
- Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB) — Lightning Talk (August 2026)
As Seen On
QVC USA · QVC UK · QVC Italy · QVC Germany · TVSN Australia · TSC Canada · CNR Mall Beijing
Brands & collaborations: Cirque du Soleil · Edwin Jeans · Walmart (George) · Irving Samuel · Holt Renfrew
Questions Hosts Love to Ask
- You’ve sold over $300 million on live TV. What actually makes people buy?
- Your skating career ended in an instant. How did you find your next chapter?
- What do most founders get wrong between the sketch and the shelf?
- You lost most of your hair to illness. How did that become a business?
- You’re 68 and busier than ever. What would you tell someone who thinks it’s too late?
What People Say
“Cydney has a strong business acumen… what she says, she will execute — and you will see results.”
— Sharon Snider, Fashion Buyer
“Within two months of taking her program, I’m now producing a fashion brand on my own.”
— Jumpei Fujimoto, Samurai Cut, Tokyo
Book Cydney
For podcasts, events, panels and workshops, email cydney@cydneymar.ca or call 514-949-4287. Include your show or event name, date, audience and format.
Download Speaker Sheet (PDF) Invite Cydney to Speak
100% Aboriginal Owned Company · Proudly Nlaka’pamux, Coast Salish
Cydney Mar Consulting, a division of 9324-3566 Québec Inc.